Less-lethal projectile weapons provide law enforcement and military personnel with an alternative to firearms in hostile encounters. While firearms are necessary and appropriate for adjudicating deadly force encounters, less-lethal projectile weapons afford law enforcement and military personnel a tool, which can be effectively used across a broader range of the use of force spectrum. A suspect can be incapacitated by the blunt force impact of a projectile shot from a less-lethal weapon with less risk of serious injury to the suspect without exposing the officer or soldier to undue danger.
Less-lethal projectile weapons shoot a variety of projectiles, including bean bags, rubber slugs, rubber shot, and wood dowels. Compared to the lethal loads and bullets fired from conventional firearms, these blunt force impact projectiles are much larger, softer and travel at much slower velocities from the less-lethal projectile weapons so that they do not produce lethal penetrating wounds. Less-lethal projectiles weapons typically fall into two categories: specialized launchers that use compressed air to propel the projectiles and conventional firearms converted to use specialized ballistic projectile ammunition.
The compressed air launchers require a compressed air source, usually a cannister, as well as specialized projectile rounds. Compressed air launchers are generally bulky and inconvenient to carry and deploy without additional specialized slings, holsters and pouches, which further occupy the limited space on the officer's duty belt or a soldier's equipment rig. The use of compressed air launchers also require specialized training and additional tactics to effectively deploy.
Conventional firearms that are converted to shoot specialized ballistic projectile ammunition present other drawbacks and potential problems. Special ballistic projectile rounds have been developed for use in conventional 12 gauge shotguns, such as the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500. These less-lethal projectile rounds, use a standard 2½″ 12 gauge shell with a small charge that propels a bean bag, wood dowel, rubber slug or rubber shot. While other firearms have been converted to use other calibers of rounds, the 12 gauge shotgun shell generally provides the most suitable round for less-lethal projectile ballistic and is very cost effective. While convenient, there is a potential for confusion between less-lethal projectile rounds and conventional lethal ammunition rounds in a stressful tactical situation. Another drawback to converted shotguns is their size and weight. Shotguns are large weapons that generally require both hands to manipulate. Shotguns must be held or slung, rather than simply holstered.